


This Sugary Disease

by AnOrcaLullaby



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 20:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3353642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnOrcaLullaby/pseuds/AnOrcaLullaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tom Riddle wasn’t the type of person to celebrate Valentine’s Day nor partake in the sappy clichés of love in general. It was unfortunate for him that Harry didn’t share his dislike. Or perhaps it was actually a good thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Sugary Disease

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt I came across. I'll put the link in the endnotes. This is also a lot different from my other stuff in that it is short and lacks any angst. So prepare for pure sweet fluff~

Tom Riddle never fancied himself as one to celebrate a certain holiday centred around love. It was far too…how did Harry typically phrase it? Ah yes, mushy gushy. The day was filled with the sap and teeth rotting sugariness of the commercialised ideal of love. Now Tom knew love did in fact exist, Harry was proof of that, but he didn’t think it deserved its own special day to remind him just how the world seemed to enjoy portraying it. Cute, and he was using the word in a negative way here, naïve individuals who were so _lovesick_ with each other their own personal identities became screwed. It made him want to vomit from how _revolting_ the media turned love into. Perhaps that was the reason why he never thought much on the subject in his youth. He never thought he’d catch the disease. And yet he did. For his rival during college nonetheless. Or rather, after three years of showing off to the other and making biting remarks Harry slipped and blurted out he liked Tom. Somehow that led to the present day of them sharing a flat. The details didn’t exactly matter for the fact remained; Harry had stolen what little of a heart he had and Tom was content with the emerald eyed boy keeping it forever.

The business where Tom worked his desk job required him to work today despite it being a holiday. He didn’t mind at all and was prepared to head the work in the morning as he usually did. When his alarm blared sharply at 6am though, a weight settled across his back and the noise promptly ceased. But as Tom attempted to wrestle himself out from underneath his lover, his boy curled tighter against his sides and gave a discontented noise.

Scowling as he continued to prod the younger, “Harry, get off. I’ve work today.”

“Take the day off you workaholic,” came the sleepy answer from above.

“What part of ‘I’ve work today’ do you not understand you daft fool?”

His cell-phone was dangled in front of his face, “Call your boss and tell him you won’t be in today. He’ll understand.”

“Harry, no.”

“Harry _yes,_ is what I think you mean,” cheekily the other responded tapping Tom’s nose against the phone’s screen.

The elder huffed, “Stop being such an insolent child. If you wanted me to stay home today, you could have said so yesterday.”

A sigh, “Too easy.” Harry’s thumb tapped the passcode in quickly, “Well if you’re not going to do it yourself then I’ll do it for you.”

“Give that to me you wretched prat,” Tom ordered, his tone laced with venom. Seeing as Harry wasn’t about to relent, he decided the best course of action was to indulge the other. His boy must have _something_ up his sleeve. After quickly calling his boss and explaining he wouldn’t be showing up today after all, Tom dropped his head back into his pillow. Grumbling against it, “You had best make this day worthwhile.”

“Definitely.” A kiss was placed against the top of the elder’s head. With Harry curled up slightly on top of him, Tom drifted into a light daze hoping his lover wouldn’t force him to partake in any cliché Valentine’s Day fiasco.

* * *

 

It was noon by the time Harry finally wrestled himself up from the duvet. Tom observed the other silently with interest. His boy tugged at his wavy black locks, “Hey, get up you lazy snake.”

“I believe it is you who refused to get up, not I,” retorted the elder. Regardless, he still lifted his torso up from the soft sheets to sit beside Harry.

The other kissed him lightly before asking, “You hungry?” Tom wondered why Harry bothered asking such pointless questions. Of course he was hungry, starving actually. Half the day had already passed by and they hadn’t eaten a single morsel yet. Harry’s lips did not count as food. Tom’s silence seemed to have irked the other, “I could translate your lack of an answer as a no and just let you suffer.”

“I could cook something for myself,” Tom pointed out.

Harry just laughed at that, “And let you burn the entire building down? No way! “ He stood and grabbing the other’s hands pulled Tom to his feet as well. “The only thing I trust you with is food that doesn’t need to be cooked and tea.” Shrugging at that, for it was rather true, Tom allowed himself to be dragged to their quaint kitchen. As Harry began gathering ingredients for pancakes, the elder set the kettle on the stove and retrieved their tea cups. However, he found a tiny sliver of paper crumbled into a ball in one of them. Flattening it out Tom read it: _I think you’re beau-TEA-ful._ He let out a long exasperated groan.

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Arms wrapped around his waist and Tom could hear how much Harry was trying to stifle his laughter, “I see you found my note.”

“Yes I found your…note,” the taller replied in disgust. “Please tell me there aren’t anymore.” But the green eyed boy simply smirked at him and resumed cooking. Tom let out another groan, “You can not be serious. Why must you torture me with such terrible lines?”

“Just make the tea you uppity man with a stick shoved deep in your arse.” Tom thought that could be taken several different ways but chose not to comment on it. Harry would simply continue with worse statements. “Hey, think I can use a cookie cutter to make the pancakes into hearts?”

Curtly, “No.”

“You sure? I think I’ll try anyways.” Harry reached up into a cupboard and retrieved the object. It was all the younger’s fault that they even had those. Rubbing at his temples, Tom wondered why on earth he put up with the childish imbecile. But as he gazed upon Harry’s earnest smiles that would put a diamond to shame, Tom was reminded. This silly individual was the only one able to light up his black soul. Tom would put up with eating _heart-shaped_ pancakes of all things for him.  Although, he was a little surprised as Harry set the table with candles and roses. At Tom’s scrutinised gaze, he shrugged, “Is it a crime to have a romantic breakfast?”

Raising an eyebrow, “I thought that traditionally breakfast is served in bed while dinner is the one with candles. The light would show up better in the evening as it will actually be dark.” He sat down as the younger set the plates laden with food down onto the table then joined Tom in sitting.

“I’m mixing stuff up a little.” Tom would say the younger was improvising, but the note provedHarry had actually been thinking about it for a while. Or at least from sometime last night.

“Ah, don’t let me ruin your fun then. Surprise me, love.”

The other smirked, “Oh you’ll be surprised. I promise you that.”

Tom leaned forward with interest. “Now you really are teasing me _Harry._ ” He could see the delighted shiver that went through his boy at the purring of his name.

“Patience is a virtue _Tom_.” The elder loved how rosy lips formed around his name just as he hated Harry dangling a treat in front of him yanking it back whenever he got too close. He almost wanted to whine but he was far too dignified for that. So he settled on continuing to watch his lover closely in case his boy accidently slipped and gave it away. But as he picked up his fork he found another slip of paper taped to the underside. This one read _Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you_. He looked up at the other with a scorching glare. Harry held a straight face for less than a second before breaking out in laughter.  

Dropping his face into his hands Tom muttered, “You are impossible.”

“Love you too.”

* * *

 

They didn’t venture out into the city and Tom was perfectly fine with that. He wasn’t interested in having to suffer through watching couples under the influence of puppy love showering their partners with public displays of affection. Perhaps he did often kiss Harry in public, but that was simply because riling up the younger was one of his favourite past times. And unlike others, the love he felt for Harry was far truer and above what society simplified love into so that even the common wretched man could feel involved. It was despicable that such impure and unworthy people thought they could grasp such a pure concept. But perhaps using such a tiny word was actually unable to express just how much Tom revered Harry. What he felt for his boy with bright green eyes and chaotic inky black hair and his thick framed glasses was something so much more and could not be accurately expressed in a four letter word.  

It was the sole reason why he was currently indulging Harry once again by cuddling with him underneath a huge fluffy blanket, from where Tom wasn’t sure, and watching a movie packed with adventure. If his boy had put on a romantic movie, Tom would have just gone back to bed as that would have been the last straw he could handle for today. Luckily for him, Harry wasn’t going to risk that. So there he sat with his cheek resting against the back of his hand as his lover’s hair was strewn about on his lap as they watched Gollum lead Frodo and Sam to Mordor.

Even though they were supposed to be watching the movie, Harry wasn’t daunted from continuing his terrible one-liners, “On a scale of one to ten, you’re a nine and I’m the one you need.”

“What can I do to make you be _silent,_ ” Tom hissed out of clenched teeth. A box of candy sweethearts was held in front of his face. “What? Do you want me to choke you by emptying out the entire box in your mouth?”

“No silly.” Tom’s lips were touched lightly with the box. “Take one, give it to me, I’ll read it aloud, and then I’ll eat it. And then I’ll do the same to you.”

Sighing, “I still think the idea of choking you is far more appealing.”

“Hey, you’re not supposed to be sadistic on Valentine’s Day.” Harry opened the box and handed one of the sweets to Tom.

“Be mine,” the elder read before dropping it into Harry’s mouth.

After swallowing, “You’re the one who’s supposed to eat it.”

“I don’t like them. Besides, it’s _you_ who needs to be quiet.” The younger rolled his eyes but didn’t argue for once. Tom selected one and handed it to Harry.

“All mine, of course you give me that one.” The elder simply smirked in response. Perhaps this really wasn’t his thing, but he could still play the game. They went through two boxes and despite many of the phrases repeating but not right after the other, Harry gave Tom a new one.

“Marry me,” the elder read before dismissing it into Harrys’ mouth. The next one said the exact same thing though. “You already gave this to me,” Tom told the younger before placing it on the other’s tongue. But then Harry handed another one to him and Tom paused to look at his boy in puzzlement. The green eyed boy sighed and with cheeks colouring crimson pushed himself off the couch and onto the floor. Bending on one knew, he grabbed Tom’s hands.

“Will you marry me?” _That_ was certainly unexpected. Not once during the day did Tom think Harry was leading up to ask that particular question. His boy, despite his immaturity at times, always managed to truly astonish him. The younger waited with baited breath and Tom realised if he didn’t recover from his shock and respond Harry might die from oxygen depravation.

Leaning down to capture the other’s lips, “Of course.”

“Good. I was, erm, sort of afraid you’d just continue looking at me dumbly. You don’t really seem like the marrying type but I still wanted to ask you bout it and-“ Tom placed a finger against the rambling boy’s lips.

“You’re the one who is always willing to punch me in the face no matter the consequences. You’re the one who always insists that you stand on equal ground with me. You’re the one who never trembles from my murderous looks. You’re the one who didn’t call me a monster when I killed my father. How could you think I’d refuse?” Emerald orbs were wide-eyed, then that beautiful smile stretched across the younger’s face.

“I don’t know. But I’m happy you said yes.” Harry kissed Tom this time. “Oh, I had something to give you,” he pulled a small box out from between the cushions.

Tom’s brow quirked upward, “It truly amazes me how much you actually planned this.”

“Well,” blushing from the praise, “Hermione and Ron helped me a little bit.” Ah, so he had those two to blame for planting the idea of Valentine clichés into Harry’s head. Or perhaps he had them to thank for getting Harry to propose to him. The younger opened the box and taking out a silver ring, slipped it onto Tom’s finger. Then he grinned brightly with a mischievous look in his eyes that Tom didn't like, “Hey, you know what?”

“No.”

“I hope you know CPR cause you take my breath away.” Tom resisted the urge to take the ring off and throw it at his boy laughing so hard he may _have_ to preform CPR on him. Yet, the corners of his mouth twisted upward into a small smile. It seemed Harry becoming infected with the clichés Valentine’s Day promoted was a good thing  after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I seem to have a thing for proposals when it comes to holidays. But this prompt was just so cute I had to write something for it. Here’s the link if anyone’s interested: http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/110947021244/imagine-your-otp-with-a-box-of-candy-sweethearts. Simple Request will be finished this weekend (hopefully if I don’t get distracted). Have a lovely Valentine’s Day!


End file.
